Qatar coach Felix Sanchez yesterday announced a full-strength 23-member national squad for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, which starts on November 30. The Asian champions are seeking their maiden title in the tournament, which will be played at six FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venues.
The squad includes captain Hassan al-Haydos, who missed the last two European Qualifiers earlier this month. The squad also includes Akram Afif, Almoez Ali and Abdelkarim Hassan.
Qatar are currently undergoing a ten-day training camp in Spain to prepare for the Arab Cup. The hosts are in Group A along with Bahrain, Oman and Iraq. They will take on Bahrain in their opening match at Al Bayt Stadium on November 30.
Al Annabi will enter the tournament with an eight-match winless streak but Sanchez, recently said the he is confident of a strong show after team’s outings against tough European teams. “We are on the right path. We will continue to work, and we must reach the tournament with full readiness,” the Qatar coach said.
“Participation in the European qualifiers was very useful in all respects, and in general we gained great experiences through contact with strong international teams. The level is to be fully prepared for the 2022 World Cup,” he added.
Qatar faced Portugal, Serbia, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan during the European Qualifiers, where they featured as a guest side to gain experience ahead of the World Cup.
Qatar squad: Saad al-Sheeb, Meshaal Barsham, Yousof Hassan, Pedro Miguel, Abdelkarim Hassan, Mohamed Waad, Tarek Salman, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Ali Asad, Mohamed Muntari, Hassan al-Haydos, Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Karim Boudiaf, Musaab Khedir, Bassam al-Rawi, Homam al-Amin, Boualem Khoukhi, Ismail Mohamed, Khalid Muneer, Abdullah al-Ahrak, Assim Madibo
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez